The present invention relates to a machine tool with at least one vertically reciprocating tool and a laser beam cutting device adapted to operate on a workpiece mounted on a horizontally arranged coordinate table movable relative to the tool, respectively the laser beam cutting device, in a horizontal plane and in two directions normal to each other.
Machine tools of this type are basically known in the art. For instance, a stamping, respectively nibbling machine for machining plate-shaped sheet metal parts is known in the art in which the workpiece is fed into the machine by means of a coordinate table which is movable in longitudinal and transverse direction and in which the machine is also provided with a cutting device operating according to the plasma-arc method, and the workpiece is then moved by the table along a desired path to thus be provided by the cutting device with any desired cutouts.
A tool machine of the combination of the above mentioned kind is also known in the art in which the laser beam cutting device comprises a laser generator spaced away from the machine tool but with a laser beam cutting apparatus as such which is directly carried by the body of the machine tool and therewith is subjected to the vibrations occurring during operation of the reciprocating tool. Such a laser beam cutting device will provide better cutting results than cutting devices operating according to the plasma-arc method. These better cutting results are obtained in that with a laser beam cutting device narrow cuts with substantially parallel side faces are obtained, whereas for instance with a cutting device operating according to the plasma-arc method the resulting slits will open in downward direction. While the use of a laser beam cutting device in connection with a punching or nibbling machine appears especially desirable, there result in practice certain problems from such a combination, in that the optical device of a laser beam cutting head with reversing mirror and condenser lens has to be exactly adjusted and kept free from influences which would disturb such an exact adjustment. It is especially detrimental for a satisfactory operation if vibrations, which during operation of a punching or nibbling machine are unavoidable, are transmitted to the sensitive elements of the laser beam cutting head, especially to the optical devices thereof for adjusting the laser beam, which is unavoidable with the above-mentioned machine tools according to the prior art.